According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), there are an estimated 5,900 fires in restaurant buildings each year. These fires cause an average of 75 injuries and $172 million in property loss annually. Don’t let your restaurant add to those statistics. Restaurants are at a high risk for fires due to the large amount of food being prepared and high number of people in a centralized area any given night.
Protecting employees, customers, equipment, and property from fires is of great concern to all restaurant owners. Luckily, understanding fires hazards in restaurants as well as what fire protection and training measures can be implemented is a great start for any restaurant owner.
Restaurants face many more fire hazards than typical properties because so much action is focused on the kitchen area. There are many hazardous areas and activities on a given night your restaurant is open, including:
Despite the increased risks of fires in restaurant kitchens, simply knowing some of the greatest hazards within a kitchen setting can help prevent a fire from occurring or spreading. Installing a kitchen fire suppression system in some of these hazardous zones can help diffuse a breakout fire and minimize damage
Sometimes fires are not fully preventable, and in these cases, it’s important to have your restaurant employees trained in basic kitchen fire protection techniques.
For fire prevention in restaurants, your staff should be assigned regularly to:
Restaurant owners and managers should also make sure that their kitchen staff knows basic responses for when a fire breaks out in the kitchen, especially:
Although cooking oils—such as fat and grease—are the leading cause of fires in commercial kitchens, restaurants still need to protect themselves against fire emergencies ignited away from the cooking scene. Electrical malfunction is a big concern for fire protection.
Ensuring that all electrical equipment—regardless if it is located in the kitchen—is routinely inspected is one measure to ensure that your entire facility is protected against a fire emergency. Electrical cords that are frayed and equipment that is faulty are likely to spark, causing an electrical fire throughout your restaurant. Having a fire sprinkler system designed and installed throughout the entire restaurant can also contain fires outside of the cooking area and minimize damage or injury.
The NFPA regulates fire protection requirements by state and local region—fire protection for your restaurant’s building and kitchen is crucial to the long-term longevity of your company. If your restaurant is located in the Houston area, contact Kauffman Co. for all your fire protection needs. We can help you and your restaurant with:
Fill out the form to the right to see how Kauffman Co. can help your Texas restaurant protect itself against all fire hazards and emergencies.
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